Monday, 26 June 2017

School of Rock

New London
Theatre

23rd
June, 2017

I would describe seeing School of Rock as a nostalgia trip – except it feels like only
yesterday that I saw and fell in love with the 2003 (!!!) film. Andrew Lloyd
Webber, Glenn Slater and Julian Fellowes’ musical adaptation is an affectionate
and faithful take on the original, which rightly places its child cast centre
stage. Before it even started The Dark Lord’s (ALW’s) voice boomed from on
high, emphatically informing us that the kids play their instruments live every
night. It’s as if Matilda and Rock Of Ages have been chucked in a
blender and the result is a fun packed show with a rock concert energy, full of
charm and cheek.

The main plot expansion in the musical is the
addition of a deeper insight into the kids’ home lives. The touching ‘If Only
You Would Listen’ highlights the gulf between parental expectations and a
child’s wish to express their individuality, aspirations and problems.
Likewise, we get a better sense of the liberation that music practice with
Dewey gives them, and the way he embodies everything they wish their parents (and
other teachers) did – fun, non-patronising, inclusive, providing a listening
ear, and most of all, he recognises their capabilities and praises their
diverse talents. However, Fellowes’ book borrows heavily from the film – the
majority of the jokes are pretty much verbatim. It may be a case of ‘if it
ain’t broke don’t fix it’, but it does beg the question as to why such a
well-known writer was hired in the first place.

After several duds including the misguided Love Never Dies (which was admittedly,
more the fault of the preposterously overblown book) and (by all accounts) the
dull and bemusing Stephen Ward, Lloyd
Webber is back on form here, perhaps due to returning to the rock music
foundations with which he established his name. While School Of Rock doesn’t quite display the ambition of the high
concept Jesus Christ Superstar, the
tunes are loud, catchy and tell the story just as well with original music as
the film did with its soundtrack of 60’s and 70’s rock classics. Stand out
songs include ‘You’re In The Band’ and ‘Stick It To The Man’, which
stylistically is a pounding mix of Matilda’s
‘Revolting Children’ and Spring Awakening’s
‘Totally Fucked’. Lloyd Webber and Slater also do a fine line in parody, as
seen in the opening song ‘I’m Too Hot For You’, sung by rival band No Vacancy,
which perfectly captures the ego-tastic essence of hair rock: all style, and no
substance.

Holding the show together, Stephen Leask is an
absolute pro. He displays pitch perfect falsetto, an unexpected flair for
acrobatics (I imagine it takes some skill to perform a simultaneous backflip and bellyflop! And without a crashmat.
Ouch!), great comic timing, and a natural chemistry with the kids. Most
importantly, Leask is not doing a Jack Black impression – he’s his own Dewey,
but maintains all the enthusiasm, goofiness, and sarcastic wit of the iconic
character. Yet, without the child cast, to put it simply, this show would not
work. These kids are insanely talented. They sing, act, dance and play
instruments live during every performance and they do all this while standing
shoulder to shoulder with their adult counterparts, and more often than not,
stealing the show from them completely.

Catchy tunes, jokes that fall just on the right
side of ‘PG’, and an atmosphere that buzzes with the vitality that only live
music can conjure; for a feel-good family show that doesn’t overdo the
cutesiness or sentimentality, School of
Rock is a must see, and can stand proudly within ALW’s oeuvre.